“Not just for today. For everything since…I know I probably haven’t said it enough, if I said it at all…but I mean it. Thank you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth I felt better. Lighter. Freer.
“Any time, Pippi. Any time.” He smirked at me before vanishing out the door.
It took a moment for my pulse to return to normal and my breathing to get back under control. When I stepped under the thundering pulse of the scalding water, I felt better. Instantly. For a long moment I just stood there, the water beating down on my head. After I washed my hair, scrubbed the remnants of last night’s makeup from my face, and brushed my teeth, I stepped from the shower feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.
Wrapping the towel around me, I wiped the condensation from the mirror and looked at the woman staring back at me. I barely recognised her. The bruises had deepened and the memories came flooding back. With trembling fingers I prodded my ribs. They were sore. More than sore. The ached like a bitch.
I pulled the towel around me tighter and tighter. I didn’t want to see it any more. I didn’t want them to be there. As silent tears fell from my eyes, as I tried to force my mind to shut it away, I wished the person looking back at me was someone else. Someone not so damaged. Someone less broken. Someone less sad. I pulled open the door. Folded in a perfect pile at the door was a pair of sweat pants and an oversized jumper. Spencer had even dug through my bag and found a pair of panties and thin pink camisole. The thought of Spencer pulling my lacy underwear from my bag made me smile. I knew him well enough to know he would have been extremely uncomfortable handling my delicates. Grabbing the clothes, I ducked back into the bathroom and dressed as quickly as my movements would allow.
Ten minutes later I emerged from the bathroom to the smell of bacon. Following my nose, I tracked the enticing scent. If I hadn’t thought Spencer was sex on legs before, now I knew I was lost. He was standing at the stove flipping pancakes, singing along to the radio.
It took him a moment before he realised I’d walked into the room. Taking a seat at the bench, I watched the floor show with a wide, honest smile. I couldn’t stifle the giggle.
“Something funny?” he asked, spinning around a spatula in one hand a piece of bacon in the other.
Stealing the bacon from his fingertips, I grinned up at him. “Not at all. Just enjoying the entertainment.”
“Smart ass,” he scolded. “You want pancakes and bacon?”
“And maple syrup?”
“That’s a given, isn’t it?”
“If it’s not, it should be.” I laughed, crunching the bacon. It was cooked exactly the way I liked it. Crispy and full of flavour. The boy could cook. “What can I do to help?”
“Pour the coffee?”
“Done.” I grinned widely, the cut on my lip re-opening and the metallic taste of blood mingling with the bacon.
For a few minutes we moved in sync around his small kitchen. It wasn’t awkward and we didn’t get in each other’s way. Together, we organised breakfast like it was something we did every day. By the time we sat down to eat I couldn’t believe how much food Spencer had piled on my plate.
“So…what’s on the agenda today?” Spencer enquired casually, stuffing another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
I could see in his eyes that there was something more he wanted to say, he remained silent.
“Um, not sure.” I shrugged half-heartedly.
“Well then, what do you want to do?”
“Honestly?”
“Always.”
“I just want to lay low, if that okay. If you’re busy and I’m in your way, let me know and I can go back to the hotel. I never cancelled my booking…” I was prattling on and I knew it.
“Zoe…” there was something in Spencer’s voice that sent a shiver down my spine. Without a word he took the knife and fork from my hand and set it down before wrapping his hands around mine. “Firstly, you are never in my way. Ever. Secondly, laying low sounds perfect. I have no plans.”
“If you’re sure…”
“One hundred and ten percent,” he stated directly before planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “Oh, and Zoe. Cancel that hotel room. You’re staying here.”
